Operating and managing the remotely operated vehicle Kaiko 7000Ⅱ

The Kaiko 7000Ⅱ is a seabed survey robot capable of performing surveys at a maximum operating depth of 7,000 m. On-board control of the robot is provided by a primary cable of at least 7,000 meters that supplies power and bidirectional optical communication. The operating crew consists of a launcher pilot, vehicle pilot, and manipulator pilot. The launcher dives while coupled to the vehicle and serves as a heavy weight. When the launcher is 100 m above the seabed in the target area, the launcher releases the vehicle and surveying starts. This method of diving is referred to as the launcher and vehicle method.
A secondary cable also connects the vehicle and launcher. This cable keeps the vehicle within 150 m of the launcher as the vehicle conducts its survey and performs other operations.
The Kaiko 7000Ⅱ, the only vehicle that can dive to a depth of 7,000 m or more, has a strong record of contributions to marine science through its sampling of seafloor sediments, organisms, and microbes and the recovery of data from its seismograph.
Nippon Marine Enterprises was commissioned to operate and maintain the remotely operated vehicle Kaiko 7000 in 2000. However, the compactness of this model's vehicle created some problems, including insufficient capacity for installed survey and observation equipment, the limited performance of the small manipulator, and too little thrust. In the autumn of 2005, the Kaiko 7000 was modified in response to pilot's requirements to provide much better performance, and took the name Kaiko 7000Ⅱ.

Launcher

Vehicle

Use:

Deep-sea surveying and research using remotely operated unmanned dives